Page 23 - The End Times and the Mahdi

completely destroyed. As a result of heavy bombing,
European capitals and other important cities suffered a
great amount of damage.
In the last few years, hurricanes, storms, typhoons and
other such disasters have had a destructive effect on the
American continent as well as in several other places in the
world. In addition, floods have caused mudslides, which
have engulfed certain centers of population. Furthermore,

earthquakes, volcanoes and tidal waves have also caused
great devastation. Therefore, all this destruction brought
upon the great cities by these calamities is an important
sign in each case.

Earthquakes

The Hour (Last Day) will not be established until ... earthquakes
will be very frequent. (Bukhari)
There are two great events before the Day of Judgment... and
then years of earthquakes. (Narrated by Umm Salama r.a.,
Ramuz al-Ahadith, 187/2)
In the last few years, major earthquakes have occurred
repeatedly and are among the foremost fears of people
around the world. If we look at the data collected by the
American National Earthquake Information Center for
1999, we find that 20,832 earthquakes happened some-
where in the world. As a result, an estimated 22,711 per-

sons lost their lives. 3
When the figures of the past are examined, we see that
the number of earthquakes was very few. According to US
Geological Survey (USGS) reports, the number of earth-
quakes with a magnitude of 5.0 or greater that took place

The End Times and Hazrat Mahdi (as)
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